Does the skipper catch his customer’s fish?

[barry luxton]

I agree with you glen about what Elton said “that anybody who thinks that a skippers job is to just steer the boat has lost the whole point of the brotherhood of the angler” what I believe is trying to be debated here is what they do when they are not steering the boat?

If you think that customers (or real anglers as you put it) have no interest in that whatsoever then I beg to differ.

I am sure a paying customer (regardless as to weather you think they are a real angler or not) wants to know just what he is getting for his money.

As I stated in my post, I would of loved to have been able to of fished all day long on some of the more productive wrecks that we fished when I was with the chieftain, but in my opinion it would not of been faire on John and Michele and more importantly, it would not of been faire on our customers.

I personally could not stand there fishing while a paying customer struggled with a tangle or in landing a fish. I also had a lot of pride in the service that I gave to my customers and I certainly never let my own wants stand in my way of that.

The enjoyment I got from saying goodbye at the end of a trip to very grateful customers certainly outstripped any pleasure I would have got from catching fish all day.

You might find that hard to believe glen? But that’s the way it was with us all on the chieftain. Now if other skippers and crews do it differently then so be it. That’s the way that I worked, I am not saying that all genuine anglers would not appreciate how we did things, but I am yet to meet one who didn’t.

Regards.

 

I stand by my previous posts. I cannot see what the problem is, if the skipper or mate wishes to fish. The skippers that i go with i also class as my mates and i think it's great that they would have the time to drop a line with you. This summer i have booked to go down the west country, but unfortunatly the skipper is off to alderney on holiday, as i can't change the date the skippers mate has said to me, no problem you can go on my boat for the week if you don't mind pulling up lobster pots and bassing for the week, how good is that. As an angler i would certainly not stand by and watch another angler struggle with a tangle or what ever, that is what fishing is about as far as i'm concerned. Challenge if i was on the boat with you mate i would ask you the question, how about dropping a line with us, no problem.

[Guest challenge]

Challenge if i was on the[/b] boat with you mate i would ask you the question, how about dropping a line with us, no problem.[/quote]

Barry.

Thanks for the thought, I believe what you say. But some of the fishing we had last year (if you would have been with us) I think you might have had second thoughts.

when your anglers are taking up to 150stone of fish off a wreck in a couple of hours and there are five or six fish over 20lbs (cod I mean) and forty or fifty of them fish need a gaff and the sun is beating down and you know that if you don’t get the fish put away then it’s going to go off and there are anglers all around you who have never witnessed fishing like it and you have got a mad skipper (who thinks he’s is still commercially catching fish) screaming at his anglers to get down and get more dragged up and you know that you are witnessing something special and they have paid good money to do so STOP. “hay challenge leave that fish, if it goes off it goes off, don’t you bother gaffing our fish we will take it in turn to gaff each others”, “hay challenge there’s somebody just got a cod over 30lb why don’t you see if you can get one that big while we knock off fishing and gut and clean and fillet and pack all our own fish away. Should only take us 2 or 3 hours each”.

Nice thought Barry but in the world of hectic offshore wrecking it very seldom worked that way.

Regards.

Edited May 16, 2007 by challenge

[SandTiger]

Interesting read. My view, through choice, is not to pleasure fish when taking out paying anglers - I'm there to work and provide a service from putting people over fish, monitoring my instruments, listening to every sound the boat makes, cooking, cleaning, encouraging, teaching, netting, untangling, gutting, filleting etc... etc... The list is endless.

 

And you know what, I get much more from working like that because I know at the end of the day I've put in 100%. I think you can drop a line with lesser numbers of anglers but when you have 12 on there's just to much going on that I'd not be able to enjoy my fishing. Also I don't feel the need to drop a line since I have been skippering, I get more enjoyment from putting people over fish

[Norm B]

Interesting read. My view, through choice, is not to pleasure fish when taking out paying anglers - I'm there to work and provide a service from putting people over fish, monitoring my instruments, listening to every sound the boat makes, cooking, cleaning, encouraging, teaching, netting, untangling, gutting, filleting etc... etc... The list is endless.

 

And you know what, I get much more from working like that because I know at the end of the day I've put in 100%. I think you can drop a line with lesser numbers of anglers but when you have 12 on there's just to much going on that I'd not be able to enjoy my fishing. Also I don't feel the need to drop a line since I have been skippering, I get more enjoyment from putting people over fish

Sounds like good practice to me, but we're all different but that's my sort of skipper, netting fish, making bacon sarnies, brewing the tea, catching bait. That's about 4 skippers rolled into 1.

[slackline]

Before the COP for passenger vessels most boats in whitby carried a skipper and a crew man / deckie I believe this was required by the port authority. On days when there was plenty of fish going the deckie would look after the paying customers and the skipper would have a go with a rod. I dont ever remember the anglers having to fend for them selves

I can also remember an old guy called Tommy Tabner being a deckie He always had a fag in his mush and could burn through mono nylon with it in an invisible sort of way very quick with the old tangle Ha Ha

Edited May 16, 2007 by slackline

[slackline]

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QUOTE(Norm B @ May 16 2007, 10:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds like good practice to me, but we're all different but that's my sort of skipper, netting fish, making bacon sarnies, brewing the tea, catching bait. That's about 4 skippers rolled into 1.

 

Fished with a skipper in Ireland about 10 years ago out of Burtonport he was a dab hand with the tea, Big aluminium kettle with one tea bag for each angler dumped in with cold water and then brought to the boil (could have tarred her bottom with it )

Fresh caught makrel fried in a pan that looked like a bilge bailer in fat that would have passed as used engine oil great days fantastic taste and i diddnt die from it

As for fishing he was a bit of a species man, never went further than 1 mile from the cliffs for pollack,ling,cod,makrel,place.whiteing,small skate and even a dover sole all in a six hour trip

[Bob Jerunkel]

All the best skippers ive been out with and ive been out with plenty have fished.

If a skipper dont fish it eoither means his not interetsed or he knows his not going to catch anything.

nothing better than seeing a new skipper getting his rod out it fills you with confidence and hope.

I've been out with skippers who havent fished and theyve never been much good.

no interest not even with other jobs like sorting out tangles and stuff.

Making tea is important as well.

good skippers make plenty of tea.

in between fishing.

[SandTiger]

...

If a skipper dont fish it eoither means his not interetsed or he knows his not going to catch anything.

 

Okay, maybe another way to look at it is regardless of whether I have a line in the water or not I'm still fishing

 

Nothing gives me greater pleasure then seeing my anglers hook into decent fish

[mr motorola]

All the best skippers ive been out with and ive been out with plenty have fished.

If a skipper dont fish it eoither means his not interetsed or he knows his not going to catch anything.

nothing better than seeing a new skipper getting his rod out it fills you with confidence and hope.

I've been out with skippers who havent fished and theyve never been much good.

no interest not even with other jobs like sorting out tangles and stuff.

Making tea is important as well.

good skippers make plenty of tea.

in between fishing.

I've fished with 2 of the greats from Whitby

1. Stu Johnson (Sea Trek) 20 years+

2.John Brennan (Chieftain) 2 years

With Stu in all my years fishing with him , i have only seen him fishing 3 times (2 of those times were when there was a lot of Haddock coming up) because Stu loves Haddock!!!!!!!!!!!! And the 3rd was two years ago when i was on the boat with big Malcolm(whitby lads will know) just the 3 of us and the 2 of them had a little competition Shadding! I cannot remember anymore times i saw him fishing......ever!

And i have had some of the most fantastic days fishing on his boat......Cod in excess of 30lb , 10 stone a man , you name it

 

With John , i have never seen the man fish. EVER!!!! All i hear is "right ho lads" from the little speaker , get to the bottom and BANG you're into fish!!!! And the same for the ammount of fish coming aboard!!!

 

BUT!!!! Both were on hand for tangles , gaffing fish , information and help ALWAYS!!!!

 

 

So from my point of view.............if a skipper dosn't fish , i take it as he's doing his best to set you up on the mark and be waiting for you (with the gaff) when you pull up your biggie!!!!!!!!!!

 

Okay, maybe another way to look at it is regardless of whether I have a line in the water or not I'm still fishing

 

Nothing gives me greater pleasure then seeing my anglers hook into decent fish

I couldn't agree with you more Sandtiger

[JB]

Interesting read. My view, through choice, is not to pleasure fish when taking out paying anglers - I'm there to work and provide a service from putting people over fish, monitoring my instruments, listening to every sound the boat makes, cooking, cleaning, encouraging, teaching, netting, untangling, gutting, filleting etc... etc... The list is endless.

 

And you know what, I get much more from working like that because I know at the end of the day I've put in 100%. I think you can drop a line with lesser numbers of anglers but when you have 12 on there's just to much going on that I'd not be able to enjoy my fishing. Also I don't feel the need to drop a line since I have been skippering, I get more enjoyment from putting people over fish

 

 

 

 

 

smile.gif Okay, maybe another way to look at it is regardless of whether I have a line in the water or not I'm still fishing cool.gif

 

Nothing gives me greater pleasure then seeing my anglers hook into decent fish biggrin.gif

Hi Davey,

The angling business is a hard one from an economical point of view and each year it is getting harder. However, with an attitude like that I predict that you will go far and do very well, my friend.

 

Kind regards,

John